The Curious Investor (http://www.TheCuriousInvestor.com) is an investing blog which hopes to provide both educational and informational content on a variety of investing topics. The author is a distressed and special situations investor who began his career in mezzanine lending and private equity. Views expressed are based on a value investing perspective and represent the author's own personal opinions and not supported by his employer.

Great ideas are the lifeblood of the investment business and the exclusive focus of The Manual of Ideas. Authored by investment and finance professionals who have grown up on the teachings of Ben Graham, Warren Buffett and Joel Greenblatt, and have studied under or worked with luminaries such as Yale Chief Investment Officer David Swensen and Economics Nobel Laureate James Tobin, MOI delivers timely, differentiated investment ideas. In a market flooded with data and opinion, we deliver clarity.

The Federal Reserve has pegged interest rates to all time lows. This leaves income investors in a quandary - not knowing where to invest.

Bruce looks at the best income, growth, natural resource, and technology equities while taking a contrarian approach. ETFs can often be used to mitigate risk for investors who wish to take a "hands off" approach.

Bruce has degrees from Calvin College and the University of South Dakota and has been investing in the markets for 40 years.

Trace Mayer is an entrepreneur, investor, journalist, monetary scientist and ardent defender of the freedom of speech. Trace Mayer holds degrees in Accounting and law. He has studied Austrian economics focusing on Murray Rothbard and Ludwig von Mises.

He was among the first popular bloggers to publicly recommend blockchain technology, Bitcoin, in its infancy with a market cap under $2m and well before its massive rise over $11B in November 2013 and hosts the extremely popular Bitcoin Knowledge podcast.

Blockchain technology holds the most disruptive potential for actually being able to execute such massive creative destruction as capital burrows down the liquidity pyramid into safer and more liquid assets like gold and Bitcoin.

Glenn Cutler was one of the most recognized investment newsletter publishers in the 1980s & '90s and known for identifying unique opportunities in the stock market for institutional asset managers and individual investors through his investment publications: Market Mania, The Red Herring & DMC Market Fax. Glenn achieved “Timer of the Year” in both Stocks & Gold by Timer’s Digest. After years of retirement, he now sees excellent opportunities to make money in stocks and is making his research and comments available once again. Glenn has been an investment advisor, mutual fund manager (equities), market strategist and venture capitalist known for keen insights, forward vision, solid research and skillful risk management in the financial markets. He was a regular contributor to Financial News Network (predecessor to CNBC) and was profiled as an opinion leader, money manager and stock market strategist in many leading financial publications. (Wall Street Journal, Barron’s, Forbes, Fortune, Money Magazine, Investor’s Business Daily, Business Week). Mr. Cutler has been featured in many books, including The Wall Street Gurus (1986) by Peter Brimelow. Mr. Cutler writes his Financial Blog and offers Special Situations Reports at TheWinnersForum.com (http://thewinnersforum.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=category&sectionid=3&id=7&Itemid=25).

My name is Vivian Lewis. I was born to immigrant German Jewish refugee parents in New York, so I started out as a multilingual baby and won the American Association of Teachers of French prize for high school grads in my year. I went on to study European history, first at Harvard, where I was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and from which I graduated magna cum laude, and then at University of California, Berkeley where I got an master's degree. I married Paul Lewis, a financial journalist then with the Financial Times (of London), and moved to Brussels where I pursued my PhD at the University of London. When my money ran out, I went to work for McGraw-Hill World News Common Market Bureau and never looked back. Journalism turned out to be my forte, not academia. I then went to work for The Economist in Paris followed by The Sunday Times (London).

When we lived in Washington, I took a break from journalism and worked for the Joint Economic Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Then we returned to Europe, again living in Paris, where I was freelancing as an economic journalist. In this role I covered a half dozen countries in Europe.

We then moved back in the U.S. again, this time back to New York where my husband became U.N. Bureau Chief for The New York Times. I found it hard to get freelance work because my background was mainly European.

So in 1990 I started Global Investing, initially a print newsletter - now it's a blog. We started out covering the expanding market for American Depositary Receipts and Yankee bonds, adding open-end and later exchange-traded funds with an international bent later. Because there were so many ideas you could only buy directly on foreign markets, in 1996 I decided to start what later became Global Investing Pro, for institutional and high-net-worth investors, but it is now dormant.

Peter Cooper is the editor and publisher of the ArabianMoney Investment Newsletter and ArabianMoney.net website. He was formerly a partner in AMEInfo.com, sold in a private equity deal in 1996. His book 'Opportunity Dubai: Making a Fortune in the Middle East' was a best seller, and his latest 'Dubai Sabbatical: The Road to $5,000 Gold' is a sign of where he sees the future. Peter is a Dubai resident and contributes columns to many local publications. He was a contemporary of British foreign minister William Hague at Oxford University.

Brad Ferris is the author of Triage Investment Blog and President of Triage Capital Management Incorporated.He is 30, lives in London Ontario Canada and holds a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration Marketing as well as a Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing. Brad is also a practicing Registered Nurse.Brad has been investing independently over the past thirteen years and has developed a truly unique perspective on equity markets, security analysis and fundamentals of portfolio construction that combine his education, personal and professional experiences into a productive and successful approach. His ability to critically assess companies can be seen both in his writing and professional experiences where he applies his knowledge for the benefit of his readers and clients.

I possess 10+ years of trading and investing experience, with a focus on precious metals, currency, energy, and technology markets. My decisions are based on market cycles, valuation metrics, technical analysis, and industry-specific trends and technologies. I typically hold positions for several years.

I also run InformedTrades.com, a site dedicated to helping individuals learn to trade the world's financial markets.

Scott Wright is a long-time speculator with a lifelong passion for the financial markets. Mr. Wright performs research and analysis for Zeal's acclaimed newsletters (http://www.zealllc.com/intelligence.htm) and reports (http://www.zealllc.com/reports.htm). In these newsletters subscribers enjoy cutting-edge market analysis and high-potential trade recommendations.

Kelvin Schulle represents a group of researchers who has spent over a decade in the semiconductor/PV and energy industry. He began investment research ten years ago. His team has the first hand information from renewable energy industry. His focus is to identify growth trends in new technology sectors. He has been focusing on fossil and renewable energy industry for many years, believing that a new energy policy cross the globe is necessary on this planet. Kelvin holds a graduate degree from the University of Waterloo and supervises investments for various groups.

Private Trader or "PT" (a pseudonym) is a contributor to Seeking Alpha who, at this time, values privacy as much as money therefore only Seeking Alpha editors have contact information for PT.

PT's first investment in the market was airline company "People's Express". Although the stock initially went up, ultimately the company was taken over by Frank Lorenzo (ie - Texas Air Corporation and Continental) and it's value plummeted. However, PT's interest in stocks grew. Even math seemed interesting when money was on the table. PT enjoys reading stock newsletters and Seeking Alpha in search of potential bargains.

PT recommends readers review all author's past posts (including PT's) for their win / loss record. Also, especially when PT discusses stocks trading around $1, readers can check http://www.pumpsanddumps.com/ to see whether the stock is subject to any pump or dump scams. PT is not employed, paid, or in any way compensated by any of the stocks PT might discuss on SA except as an investor (and possibly as an SA contributor).

PT reminds everyone that these are not recommendations to buy, hold, or sell, and that your own due diligence is required.

Fritz Hottinger (a pseudonym) is a graduate of Northwestern University, with MBA from University of Chicago. While getting his MBA, he was fortunate to be trained under Harry Roberts (statistics) and Roger Ibbotson (stock market theory) when computers were in their infancy. These professors showed him the beginnings of stock market analysis by computer.

He began writing his own programs on an Apple IIe. When Apple’s focus went to graphics and away from spreadsheets, he switched to IBM and Windows.

He has been actively trading stocks & options since 1982. His proprietary program gave excellent SELL signals prior to the October crashes in ’87 and again in ’89. And both times he loaded up with OEX puts.

Fritz came out of retirement in 2000 to launch a website of financial information for investors based on this original program. The site now serves investors and traders on 3 continents.

He enjoys golf, trout fishing, grandchildren, and being married to his high-school sweetheart.

As a contributor to the New Low Observer (http://www.newlowobserver.com/about-this-site), we intend to give new insights on a low risk approach to trading in dividend paying stocks for tax deferred accounts. The New Low Observer (http://www.newlowobserver.com/about-this-site) is not intended for regular or non-qualifying accounts however, the strategies and stocks mentioned can be used for non-qualifying accounts with the understanding of the consequences of potential short-term capital gains as well as the need for exceptional documentation for IRS purposes.

I have a professional background of working with the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Although I am an economist (and probably because of that fact), I am adept at being resourceful and thinking in a multidisciplinary fashion. For this reason, my professional experience only reflects a wide perspective that I have gained through the years and should not connote an air of authority.

I write about dividend growth stocks on my website www.dividendgrowthinvestor.com.

I am mostly a buyer of high quality dividend stocks, with solid competitive advantages. My holding period is forever, as long as the dividend is at least maintained. I tend to concentrate my efforts on stocks which grow earnings and dividends, which provides outstanding total returns over time. I only focus my attention to stocks with sustainable dividend payments. I am also a firm believer in diversification accross sectors and geographic locations.

I have been focusing my attention particularly to companies that regularly increase dividends to their shareholders on my website. On my blog I share my thoughts on investing in dividend paying stocks that have consistently increased their payments over time and tips on growing my dividend income. I hope that my blog will serve as an inspiration for my readers and that it would change their financial lives for the better.

Ockham Research is an independent equity research provider based in Atlanta, Georgia. Ockham covers an expansive universe of stocks mostly in the US, but also from a variety of exchanges throughout the world.

Security analysis at Ockham Research is based upon the principle known as Ockham's Razor, named for the 14th-century Franciscan friar, William of Ockham. The principle states that a useful theory should utilize as few elements as possible because efficiency is valuable. In this spirit, our goal is to make the investing environment as simple and understandable as possible, yet no simpler than is necessary. We utilize this straightforward approach to value over 5500 US securities, with key emphasis given to the study of an individual securities' price-to-sales, price-to-cash earnings and other historical valuation ranges. Our long term value investing methodology is powered by the teachings of Ben Graham and it has proven to be very adept at identifying stock prices that are out of line with fundamental factors.

Ockham Research provides its research in a variety of forms and products including our company specific reports, portfolio analytics tools, newsletters, and blog posts. For more information about our range of products and services available please visit Ockham Research (http://www.ockhamresearch.com/) for more information or to sign up for our free weekly Enterprising Investor's Guide Newsletter here (http://www.ockhamresearch.com/Member/Registration/).

Tom, a native of Berwyn, IL, has been interested in stocks, bonds and real estate for over forty years. A classically-trained woodwind musician and retired High School Principal, he holds two master's degrees and blogs.

Mr. Smicklas values a conservative, diversified approach towards investing utilizing varied income streams, always sensitive to of the march of political and economic trends worldwide.

Tom knows that in the investment world there is no substitute for experience, with failure as well as success.

Since late 2006, Davy Bui has publicly posted stock picks, research reports and market commentary on his Enlightened American blog, outpacing the market by 9%, 13.5% and 17% in 2007, 2008 and 2009 respectively (http://www.enlightened-american.com/wealth/portfolio.html). Adapting a value-based approach, he evaluates general investment strategies and specific stock recommendations by combining macro-economic themes, fundamental analysis, delegation by emphasizing good management teams and risk mitigation via margin-of-safety requirements. Contact him at this page: http://www.enlightened-american.com/contact.html

Zach Scheidt is the editor of Lifetime Income Report and Income on Demand — investment advisories dedicated to finding Wall Street’s best yields. He brings to the table impeccable investment management experience and a solid record of identifying oversized payout opportunities.

Zach previously edited Income & Dividend Report, which was also dedicated to finding great stocks paying high dividends, and Accelerated Income, an advisory that focused on earning income using covered calls.

He started his career as a cost accountant for SunTrust bank, before he left for a more exciting career as an analyst for an Atlanta-based investment advisory. The company catered to wealthy clients with a minimum account balance of $1 million. It also ran two hedge funds with combined assets above $100 million. Zach was personally responsible for $20 million of the firm’s money, as well as $20 million in individual client accounts.

Zach graduated with honors from Lee University, a small private university in Cleveland, Tennessee. Upon entering the investment business, Zachary simultaneously worked full-time as an analyst and portfolio manager, and earned his MBA at Georgia State University.

When he is not scouring Wall Street for ultra-high dividends, Zach enjoys running and spending time with his wife and seven children.

Mike Havrilla is a former pharmacist (retail and home infusion settings), biotech stock trader, and writer with experience that includes full-time online trading since 2009, working as a full-time pharmacist from 2004-2009, and writing for investors since 2007. Mike holds Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and Bachelor of Science (Biology) degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and worked in the pharmaceutical industry for Wyeth prior to pharmacy school. He is also an avid runner and has completed over 20 marathons with a personal best time under three hours for the 26.2 mile race and under 80 minutes for the half marathon. Mike merged his former publishing business with BioRunUp.com / Mark Messier in October 2010, creating a new online biotech stock research and trading subscription service.

Gary A. Gordon, MS, CFP® is the president of Pacific Park Financial, Inc., a Registered Investment Adviser with the SEC. He has more than 25 years of experience as a personal coach in “money matters,” including risk assessment, small business development and portfolio management.

Gary is often asked to consult as an educator. He has taught financial concepts in Mexico, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States.

As a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP®), Gary has distinguished himself as a reputable and trusted investor advocate. He writes commentary for ETF Expert, Seeking Alpha and The Street. Gary’s participation on local and national radio has spanned more than a decade, and he currently hosts the ETF Expert Show.

Gary is a “good sport” when his wife, Denise, beats him at Scrabble. Most of all, Gary takes special pride in a not-so-little energizer… his 19-year old daughter, Wei Elizabeth Gordon.

Henry is currently the CEO of Cassia, which brings institutional quant technology to investment advisors. His mission is to level the playing field for individual investors so that everyone can have access to sophisticated risk managed portfolios. Unlike traditional quants, Henry believes in marrying rigorous engineering thinking with liberal arts creativity.

Henry was previously the lead developer at CSS Analytics on several consulting projects for a $3B institutional client and an Australian hedge fund where he developed quantitative models including regime filters, bootstrap methods, and dynamic hedging model. He is the co-author of the paper “Minimum Correlation Algorithm”. As the Business Analyst on the portfolio team at Broadridge Financial Solutions, Henry produced specifications to enhance large-scale reporting, analytics and data queries for multi-currency portfolios used by institutional wealth managers, brokerages and advisors across North America.

Henry is an engineering and finance major and holds the FINRA series 65 license and the CSC.

I have canceled my republication agreement with Seeking Alpha. Look for my future articles at http://altenergystocks.com.

Tom Konrad, PhD., CFA is a financial analyst, freelance writer, and portfolio manager specializing in renewable energy and energy efficiency. He is currently looking for a money management firm to sponsor what he believes would be the first dividend income oriented green mutual fund, based on a strategy he has been managing since December 2013.

He is Editor at AltEnergyStocks.com.Tom lives in New York's lower Hudson River Valley. He volunteers for the environmental nonprofit community, runs, and is a woodworker. He's currently using those woodworking skills to renovate (and upgrade the energy performance) of the 1930 farmhouse he lives in with his wife.

ChangeWave Research, based in Rockville, Maryland, is an independent survey research boutique founded nine years ago.

ChangeWave identifies and quantifies "change" in consumer spending behavior, corporate purchasing, industry and company trends. This is accomplished through a weekly series of large sample surveys to its network of 25,000 accredited business, technology and medical professionals - along with early adopter consumers - working in more than 20 industries.

Our research tracks the rate of change in demand trends well in advance of other sources and provides the results through a weekly subscription service of published reports.

FP Trading Desk is the blog of Canada's Financial Post. The Financial Post, Canada's most-respected business read, is part and parcel of the The National Post and has a weekly circulation of more than 1.5 million. FP Trading Desk boasts several regular contributors, under the direction of Jonathan Ratner. A steady stream of posting throughout the trading day makes this site especially invaluable to active traders, with special attention paid to market moving items such as analyst actions and the M&A rumor mill.

Todd Sullivan is a Massachusetts-based value investor and Co-Founder and General Partner in Rand Strategic Partners. He looks for investments he believes are selling for a discount to their intrinsic value given their current situation and future prospects. He holds them until that value is realized or the fundamentals change in a way that no longer support his original thesis. His blog features his various ideas and general commentary and he updates readers on their progress in a timely fashion. His commentary has been seen in the online versions of the Wall St. Journal, New York Times, CNN Money, Business Week, Crain's NY and others. He has also appeared on Fox Business News and is a RealMoney.com contributor. Visit his sites: ValuePlays (http://valueplays.net/) , Rand Strategic Partners (http://randstrategicpartners.com)